The Special Collections, Archives, and Preservation (SCAP) department of the University Libraries has created the Documenting Community, 2020 project to capture, in real time, the ways in which COVID-19 is affecting our university community, our personal and family lives, and our public communities.
University of Colorado students, as archivists, will collect their voices, reflections, thoughts and experiences through virtual audio interviews, audio diaries, photography and other creative works. In addition, we offer these student archivists the opportunity to record virtual oral history interviews with individuals including CU students, staff and educators, as well as friends, family and community members.
“Generations of chroniclers, writers and artists have recorded challenging times before this moment in history,” said Susan Guinn-Chipman, project co-coordinator and SCAP instruction and exhibits program manager. “Lending your documentary skills and your creativity will give future students the opportunity to learn from you what it was like to be a CU student in 2020. Your story matters.”
SCAP will accept electronic submissions from three groups of student archivists: SCAP student employees, Libraries student employees and students participating with faculty in SCAP’s instruction program. SCAP is partnering with educators from the CU Boulder departments of English; History; Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology; Art and Art History; and the Sewall Residential Academic Program (RAP); College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI); Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR); University of Denver Visual Arts department and more.
All student archivists will follow project guidelines, observing all COVID-19 guidelines and requirements where they are currently situated. If you are a student who would like to participate in this Documenting Community, 2020 project as an archivist, please email SCAP at sca@colorado.edu.